Explore The Lake Ontario Seaway Trail

The Port of Rochester, at the mouth of the Genesee River, was once an important shipping port on Lake Ontario. Today, it is a stop along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, a 518-mile scenic drive along Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the Saint Lawrence River.

For a day trip along Lake Ontario’s southern shore between Fort Niagara and Fort Ontario, choose either the area west or east of the Genesee River. Drive to the farthest point first, then make your way back through small farming and lakeside communities, stopping at local shops, restaurants, parks, and historic sites.

Fun fact: The Wyandot Nation named the lake “Oniatarí:io,” meaning “lake of shining water.”

West of the Genesee River

Vary your routes by driving west on the Parkway to Fort Niagara and east on New York State Route 18. You’ll pass through the towns of Youngstown, Wilson, Olcott, Oak Orchard, Hamlin, Hilton, and Rochester’s Charlotte neighborhood, from west to east.

Fort Niagara State Park

Fort Niagara State Park offers hiking, a swimming pool, and a nature center at the mouth of the Niagara River on Lake Ontario. On exceptionally clear days, visitors can see across Lake Ontario toward Toronto. The Castle at Old Fort Niagara, built by the French in 1726, is the oldest building on the Great Lakes. The 1872 lighthouse at the mouth of the Niagara River is the fourth of its kind but is not open for tours. Admission fees are separate for the park and the fort.

Wilson and Wilson-Tuscarora State Park

Wilson Tuscarora State Park offers a four-mile nature preserve trail along Twelve-Mile Creek and a guarded pebble beach.

Wilson Pier sits at the mouth of East Branch Twelve-Mile Creek and offers a pleasant place for a walk.

Olcott Beach

Olcott Beach is a lakeside hamlet home to Krull Park, Olcott Beach Carousel Park, and the Lakeview Village Shoppes. These boardwalk shops offer lake-themed clothing, gifts, and decorations. Visit the lighthouse replica, open daily to visitors, and Ye Olde Log Cabin, open on weekends.

Golden Hill State Park

Golden Hill State Park, located 30 miles east of the Niagara River in Barker, at the northernmost point of Lake Ontario’s southern shore, offers some of the region’s darkest skies, making it a good location for stargazing or viewing the northern lights. The 1875 Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse remains one of the park’s most recognizable landmarks.

Point Breeze and Orchard Park

Point Breeze is home to a replica of the original lighthouse, which stood on the west bank of the Oak Orchard River from 1871 to 1916. The lighthouse, located in Orleans County Marine Park on the east bank of the river, is open during museum hours, allowing visitors to climb the keeper’s ladder to the third floor.

Hamlin Beach State Park

Hamlin Beach State Park offers seven miles of trails, including the 1.84-mile paved Beach Boardwalk for walking and bicycling, a self-guided tour of a historic CCC/POW camp, and several distinct recreation areas. Area One includes green space, an unguarded beach, a pier, and a restored waterfront promenade with lakeside seating. Areas Three and Four feature guarded swimming beaches, picnic facilities, playgrounds, and bathhouses, with a concession stand in Area Three. Area Five features a rocky Lake Ontario shoreline and the Devil’s Nose Trail along the West Bluff. At the park’s eastern edge, a car-top boat launch provides access to Lake Ontario, and the Yanty Creek Environmental Nature Trail loops through marsh and woodland habitats.

Braddock Bay

Braddock Bay in Greece is a premier birding destination along Lake Ontario, especially during spring raptor migration. Visitors can explore trails, boardwalks, and observation areas throughout the wildlife management area.

Hidden Sidewalk

Rochester’s Hidden Sidewalk runs along the Lake Ontario shoreline behind a row of private homes west of Ontario Beach Park in Charlotte. The main entrances are across from Clematis and Cloverdale Streets, with smaller entrances roughly every fourth house. Only the sidewalk is open to the public. The adjacent lawns, gardens, patios, and docks are private property.

Charlotte and Ontario Beach Park

Ontario Beach Park features a sandy swimming beach, a boardwalk and pier, the original 1926 Abbott’s Frozen Custard, the 1905 Dentzel Carousel, and several bars and restaurants within walking distance. Located where the Genesee River meets Lake Ontario, the park hosts concerts, festivals, and other waterfront events throughout the summer and offers ample parking.

Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse

The Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse, constructed in 1822, is America’s oldest surviving lighthouse on Lake Ontario. To reach the 12-foot-high lantern room, visitors climb a narrow 40-foot spiral staircase, followed by an 11-rung ladder, before passing through an opening in the ceiling. From the lantern room, visitors can look out over the Genesee River and Lake Ontario.

Fun fact: The 1822 Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse is America’s oldest surviving lighthouse on Lake Ontario, while Canada’s decommissioned 1808 Gibraltar Point Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse on any of the Great Lakes.

East of the Genesee River

From east to west, the route from Fort Ontario to Rochester, primarily along Lake Road (County Route 1 and County Route 101) and New York State Route 104, passes through Oswego, Sterling, Sodus, Huron, Pultneyville, Webster, and Irondequoit’s Sea Breeze community.

Fort Ontario State Historic Site

Fort Ontario State Historic Site preserves a historic military fort overlooking Lake Ontario and the Oswego Lighthouse. Visitors can explore five historic buildings within the star-shaped earthworks. The fort served during the French and Indian War and the War of 1812. In 1944, it became the only emergency refugee shelter in the United States for Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

H. Lee White Maritime Museum

The H. Lee White Maritime Museum exhibits regional artifacts, historic vessels, and the maritime history of Lake Ontario and the Oswego Canal. Boat tours to Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse are also available.

Breitbeck Park

Breitbeck Park overlooks Lake Ontario between the Oswego River and SUNY Oswego. The park features a historic bell tower, heart-shaped garden, paved walking loop, playground, splash pad, nine-hole mini-golf course, and concession stand.

Sterling Nature Center

Sterling Nature Center spans two miles of Lake Ontario cobblestone shoreline atop glacially formed bluffs. Twelve marked trails lead from the visitor center through woodlands, fields, and an 80-acre beaver wetland to overlooks of the lake. One trail leads to an overlook of a large great blue heron rookery, where dozens of nesting pairs return each spring.

Fair Haven Beach State Park

Fair Haven Beach State Park features a guarded swimming beach beneath Lake Ontario’s towering shoreline bluffs. Wooded hiking trails, Sterling Pond, and Little Sodus Bay offer additional recreational opportunities, and visitors can walk the breakwater separating the bay from Lake Ontario.

Chimney Bluffs State Park

Chimney Bluffs State Park features fragile drumlin formations rising 175 feet above Lake Ontario. Water shoes or sturdy footwear are helpful along the rocky shoreline. Free parking is available at the end of East Bay Road.

Fun fact: Drumlins are generally teardrop-shaped hills ranging from a few hundred yards to several miles long. They are composed of unconsolidated sediments, such as sand, gravel, and till, deposited by a glacier as it moves over the landscape. Concentrated between Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes, this region of New York State contains the most extensive drumlin field in the world, comprising around 10,000 drumlins.

Sodus Bay Lighthouse Museum

The Sodus Bay Lighthouse Museum overlooks Sodus Point from a bluff above the village. Tour the lighthouse, enjoy seasonal Sunday concerts overlooking the lake, and explore the sandy beach, marina, and waterfront restaurants and bars.

Camp Beechwood State Park

Beechwood State Park occupies the former Camp Beechwood, operated by the Girl Scouts of the Genesee Valley from 1929 to 1996. Today, the 250-acre park offers marked hiking trails through woodlands, wetlands, apple orchards, and along the Lake Ontario shoreline.

B. Forman Park

B. Forman Park in Williamson is a quiet lakeside park with open green space, benches, and unobstructed views of Lake Ontario.

Pultneyville

Pultneyville is a historic lakeside hamlet at the mouth of Salmon Creek. Visit the Williamson-Pultneyville Historical Society and the colorful Bicentennial War of 1812 Peace Garden, then stop at Gates Hall, a former 1825 church converted into a theater in 1867. Today, it is the oldest continuously operating community theater in the United States.

Cornwall Preserve

Cornwall Preserve in Williamson is a 77-acre Genesee Land Trust property overlooking Lake Ontario. Trails pass through woodlands, meadows, and a bluff with views of neighboring peach and apple orchards.

Webster Park

Webster Park overlooks Lake Ontario from a wooded bluff with panoramic views near White House Lodge and the fishing pier. Five hiking trails wind through forests, creek valleys, and along the lakeshore, and the park also features an off-leash dog park.

Irondequoit Bay

Irondequoit Bay extends inland from Lake Ontario. Public access points in Irondequoit, Webster, and Penfield provide opportunities for boating, paddling, fishing, and birdwatching. From April through October, the seasonal outlet bridge is swung open to allow boats to pass between the bay and the lake, and vehicles must cross using the Irondequoit Bay Bridge. From late fall through early spring, the outlet bridge is open to vehicles.

Fun fact: Thousands of years ago, the Genesee River emptied into Lake Ontario through what is now Irondequoit Bay. As glaciers reshaped the landscape, the river established its present course through downtown Rochester.

Durand Eastman Park

Durand Eastman Park spans 977 acres of forests, ravines, wetlands, and Durand and Eastman lakes. The seven-mile Irondequoit Lakeside Multiuse Trail follows 5,000 feet of Lake Ontario shoreline and includes a section of wetland boardwalk. The park also features a city-managed Lake Ontario swimming beach.

Fun fact: Despite its name, the White Lady’s Castle is not a castle but the façade of the former Three Lakes Pavilion, a beachside dining hall. Local legends tell of a vengeful mother and her two large white dogs haunting the area.

Where are your favorite places along the Lake Ontario Seaway Trail?

I’d love to hear from you—please reach out and share your thoughts and experiences.